Online Teaching Certification

Any faculty member wishing to teach an online or hybrid course is required to complete at least one of the training options listed before teaching an online or hybrid course at Texas State University.

Faculty Professional Development

The options provided for faculty professional development in online teaching have been approved by the Distance and Extended Learning Steering Committee. These options are designed to meet SACSCOC and THECB requirements that faculty who teach distance education courses have appropriate training, as described in PPS 02.03.20.

On-campus and virtual course options that meet the necessary requirements are offered through the Office of Online and Extended Programs. Additionally, online options include courses offered through Quality Matters (QM) and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC).

Note: If you have already completed one of the training options through QM or OLC, you are exempt from completing any of the training options listed above, with the exception of Teaching Online at Texas State Supplemental Course.

Person watching a lecture on a laptop screen and taking notes. On the screen the instructor is pointing to a whiteboard with math equations

Faculty Professional Development Options through Texas State University

The Office of Online and Extended Programs (OXP) implements a faculty professional development program that is designed to meet the SACSCOC and THECB requirements.

TEACHING ONLINE AT TEXAS STATE (Self-Paced Course)

This self-paced, fully-online course is offered using Canvas, the university’s learning management system. Although we invite you to take as much time as you might want or need to review the materials and complete the course, most will finish in fewer than 8 hours, and faculty with prior knowledge of online teaching and learning concepts have opportunities throughout the course to test out of specific modules. Additionally, the modular nature of the course will allow faculty to engage with a lesson at a time as they have time. Course topics include Instructional Planning, Learner Activities, Communication and Interaction, Distance Learning Policy, Accessibility, and Student Misconduct. Those who choose this option will be able to begin work on the program within a business day of registration.

For more information about this course, or if you have questions about registration, 
contact the Office of Online and Extended Programs.

To register for the self-paced Teaching Online at Texas State course, use the Enrollment button below.

Quality Matters & OLC

The following courses offered by Quality Matters (QM) and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) are also approved options for faculty training.

To be certified to teach online or hybrid courses at Texas State, any faculty member who completes one of the following courses from QM or OLC is also required to complete the Texas State supplement, Teaching Online at Texas State Supplemental, which is a brief course focusing on essential material specific to Texas State. To enroll in Teaching Online at Texas State Supplemental, contact the Office of Online and Extended Programs at distanceed@txstate.edu.

Note: Faculty members' academic unit normally covers individual professional development and training costs with QM or OLC, including the certification options below.

CoursePrerequisiteDuration
QM Designing Your Online Course None2 weeks
QM Designing Your Blended CourseNone2 weeks
QM Improving Your Online CourseAn online course to improve2 weeks
OLC Online Teaching Certificate Online teaching experience 10 weeks for foundation course plus 3 electives
OLC Advanced Teaching Certificate3+ years teaching experience or OLC teaching certificate and 1-yr experience3 week foundation course plus 4 live synchronous sessions
Quality Matters Logo
Online Learning Consortium Logo

Additional Options

Expand FAQ List

  • Instructors with prior training, extensive experience teaching online, and other qualifications may seek an alternative approach to meeting the professional development requirement by completing the Alternative Documentation of Faculty Development for Online Instruction.

    To expedite your completion of the online Alternative Documentation form, we recommend you assemble the following documentation before beginning the form:

    • Online teaching certificate copy (if applicable)
    • PDF example of previously instructed online or hybrid course that demonstrates best practices in online teaching
    • Copy of syllabus from previously instructed online or hybrid course

    This process will take several hours to complete, and the documentation and attachments will then be evaluated by an instructional designer and distance learning administrator. Once the review process is complete, the instructor may be provided with a waiver of Texas State's requirement for a professional development program.

    If you have any difficulty completing the form, contact the Office of Online and Extended Programs at 512.245.2322 for assistance.

    NOTE: To be certified to teach online or hybrid courses at Texas State, any faculty member who submits Alternative Documentation will also be required to complete the Teaching Online at Texas State Supplemental, which is a brief course focusing on essential material specific to Texas State. To enroll in Teaching Online at Texas State Supplemental, contact the Office of Online and Extended Programs at distanceed@txstate.edu.

  • Any faculty member who submits Alternative Documentation or completes QM or OLC online teaching certification courses is also required to complete the Teaching Online at Texas State Supplemental, which is a brief course focusing on essential material specific to Texas State. To enroll in Teaching Online at Texas State Supplemental, contact the Office of Online and Extended Programs at distanceed@txstate.edu.